Cancer fear looms over women who have had breast implants

The fear of breast cancer is looming among more than 50,000 women in Britain following the death of a French woman who had implants with silicone get “made for mattresses”.

Tens of thousands of women who went under the knife are now being urged to have medical check-ups amid fears they are at heightened risk of cancer, the Daily Mail reported.

Almost 50,000 British women, including some breast cancer survivors, have the French-made implants, which are fragile and more likely to leak than other brands.

Edwige Ligoneche was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer two years after having breast surgery using a French-made silicone gel.

Fears about the safety of Poly Implants Protheses, or PIPs, which were among the cheapest implants on the market, first surfaced 18 months ago, but they receded after tests failed to find any firm evidence that the implants could trigger cancer.
Now, the death of 53-year-old Ligoneche, in a Marseille cancer clinic, from a rare form of cancer, has reignited concern.

Although the link with the implants hasn’t been established, it is feared that the gel leaked out of her breasts and into her system.

The French Society of Reconstructive and Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons says the gel could have been an “aggravating factor” in the cancer, and is also reviewing its policy on the implants.

Their British counterparts have urged women not to worry, but say that patients who have, or suspect they have these implants, should have regular scans to check for flaws and cracks, and if there are signs of damage, implants on both sides should be removed.